SHORTAGE OF teaching and non-teaching staff is creating hindering the growth of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER). Most of the faculty members in the institute are on a contractual basis which does not serve the purpose for which the NIPERs were set up, says the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers.

The committee has rapped the ministry and directed it to expedite the process of filling the vacant pots of teaching and non-teaching staff.

In its report, the standing committee has noted that NIPER has 73 sanctioned non-academic posts. Out of these, only 47 are filled and 26 posts are still vacant. The post of a regular director is also vacant. Apart from the regular director’s post, two posts of professors, nine posts of associate professors, and 23 posts of assistant professors are vacant too.

“The committee strongly feels that in the absence of the regular staff, academic or non-academic, the NIPERs could not be expected to attain the excellence and quality in the field of pharmaceutical education and research. It is, therefore, imperative that all the vacant posts are filled up without delay,” notes the report.

The report mentions that the secretary of the Department of Pharmaceuticals also admits that the inadequate manpower is one of the reasons for the major constraints which have hindered the growth of the institutions.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals has also replied to the recommendation that a high-level committee be constituted to oversee all the appointments. The exercise of the appointments was to be completed till the end of August 2015 but the standing committee found that the process was not expedited by the department.

NIPER has been struggling with the shortage of staff for a long time. Sources in the institute say that the absence of Board of Governors (BoG) is one of the main reasons due to which the appointments are not made yet.

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When contacted, officiating director of NIPER K K Bhutani did not respond to phone calls and text messages.